Home workout or join a gym?

Which gives you the most for your fitness dollar:
Joining a gym or buying equipment and working out at home?

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The answer: Whichever one keeps you moving.

"The
motivations for different people are different," says Dr. I-Min Lee, M.D.,
Sc.D., an epidemiologist and associate professor of medicine at the Harvard School
of Public Health. "While the gym might work for some individuals, it might
not for others."

This is one financial decision where
you definitely have to take your own pulse first. Some people will stick with
a program better if they work out alongside other people. Others prefer to exercise
solo.

One success tip: No matter which way you go, start
slowly and build. "An individual is more likely to stick with
a moderate intensity program than vigorous physical activity,"
says Lee. "Start slowly and increase slowly."

7 questions to ask yourself

Here are a few questions to help
you select a choice that will motivate you to enjoy the
fitness routine, stick with it and get more for your money.

What is it you
like to do? "Be honest with yourself," says Lee.
Set up a fitness program doing things you don't enjoy and you probably
won't stick with it.

If you enjoy working out on a range of machines or
want to take a class, you might get more out of a gym or health
club.

But "something like walking is associated with
significant health benefits," says Lee. "It doesn't require
sophisticated equipment. You don't have to join a gym."

Zeroing in on what you enjoy can also
save money. If you hate the idea of a spinning class, but love the idea of walking
18 holes, then you might investigate joining a country club or visiting a public
golf course instead of joining a gym.

Likewise, if you just
want to get in a few games of tennis, you might not need a facility that offers
a full slate of exercise classes and a pool.

Shop around.
"There are all sorts of health clubs out there to meet the needs of the population,"
says Joe Moore, president of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub
Association, a health club trade group.

Don't assume
there is one set price. "There are often starter memberships that people
can get involved in that would be sold for a bargain price," Moore says.
Clubs often have deals where they will waive introductory fees, too.

What
do you have access to now? If you love to swim and have access to a great
neighborhood pool, you probably have what you need to get started.

If
you love to run, but the weather's bad or there aren't any safe places to jog
in your area, that's a good argument for a club with a track or treadmill.

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